It wasn’t always a pirate’s life for Killian Jones, Once Upon a Time will reveal this Sunday (ABC, 8/7c).

In fact, Killian was once a stand-up Navy officer before circumstance — perhaps stemming from his first clash with Peter Pan? — turned him to the dark, guylinered side. Meanwhile in Neverland, the swashbuckler’s swag leads Emma to make a “surprising” move. Colin O’Donoghue spoke with TVLine about that twist and how it stands to make Neal’s return awkward.

TVLINE | What kind of a bloke was young Killian Jones?
He was very different than the Killian Jones you’ve seen before. He was a Navy officer, a lieutenant, and he very much lived by that code. He was straight-laced and believed in right and wrong. It was great to play him in the morning and then go to play Captain Hook in the afternoon! And it was nice to have a costume change. [Laughs]

TVLINE | What sort of relationship does Killian have with his brother Liam?
They’re very close. They’ve spent their whole lives together, and now they’re both on this ship, as officers. Liam is the captain and there’s a huge respect they have for each other. But it sort of ties into why Hook decides that he could turn the other cheek and help David…. He sees an element of his brother in David, I think, and that makes him want to try to help.

TVLINE | In flashback, is there one defining moment that steers Killian onto the path of being Hook?
Absolutely there is. You see the reasons why he becomes who he becomes, why he becomes a pirate and all of that. You also begin to see an element of Killian come back into Hook in this episode as well, which is a nice way to do it. It ties in with how as a young guy he was very idealistic, and the old Hook is more jaded. But the optimism begins to come back for Hook.

TVLINE | Of course we have The Big Kiss coming up. Were there whoops and hollers at the table read when everyone got to that scene?
[Laughs] It’s kind of been in the cards, I guess — Hook and Emma have this strange relationship where they are a bit of kindred spirits. But the kiss comes out of a place of complete surprise, how it happens. It’s not something that brews, it comes from a surprising place. But it’s a kiss nonetheless!

TVLINE | Which of the two is more affected coming away from the moment?
I think it affects them both. I don’t think Hook was expecting it necessarily, and I’m not convinced Emma was expecting it either. But I don’t think either of them hate it!

TVLINE | If Hook were to get wind that Neal is there on the island, might his more dastardly side take steps to prevent a reunion with Emma?
It will be interesting to see. That relationship with Baelfire is very complicated. Hook really would have given up everything to be a father figure to Baelfire, and I think that even now, hundreds of years later, he still sees him as that little boy, and still holds him quite dear. Even though he gave him up to the Lost Boys, if Baelfire had turned around said, “I want to stay,” he would have done everything in his power to keep him. At the end of the day, Hook really truly loved Baelfire’s mother Milah and he still sees the mother in the boy. So it would be complicated, but I would be interested to see how he would react to that.

TVLINE | So if Emma ultimately has cause to run into Neal’s arms, it won’t necessarily “flip a switch” for Hook and revert him to his ruthless pirate ways?
Not necessarily. I think Hook has the confidence to believe that he could easily get any girl if he put his mind to it. That’s the kind of guy he is! If he will or would is a whole other thing.

TVLINE | You’ve also been enjoying playing the budding bromance with Charming….
Yeah, I think Hook and David even have a ‘ship name now as well. It’s been fun, all right, to get to do that – especially because of Hook’s sort of constant flirting with Emma in front of David.

TVLINE | I think the new promo even has a moment where David says, “Stay away from my daughter!”
[Laughs] Every dad would say that!

Glad I’m not the only one! I don’t mind Hook that much but I feel like we don’t know enough about him yet either to care one way or the other. There’s so much more to this whole story besides just this triangle thing that the media keeps bringing up and that’s the story I really want to see. Hopefully Eddie & Adam are focusing more on the whole story of the show than the media’s been doing lately, LOL =)

It’s always fun to see peoples differing opinions. I can’t stand Neal and would much prefer Hook.
–
Neal just gives me a bad vibe. Can’t tell you what it is, but I get the feeling that he is always up to something and ready to bolt when given a chance.
–
Hook is not the best guy either. But he is very up front that he can and will screw you over if needed.
–
I guess I just get Hooks character. Also want Neal to just forgive Rumple, I mean it’s been 200years let it go.

I like Neal, he’s just very impulsive and is very self centered at times. He is also someone that you cant really depend on. Because even before August approached him about leaving Emma so she could fulfill her destiny, he was going to take off to Canada because of the watches and leave Emma behind. And that was after he promised Emma a home. He’s not the most reliable guy it seems!

We don’t know what Neal has done in the past. But the things he has said and done to Emma that we do know of rule him out as Emma’s True Love for me. Also True Love doesn’t pick and choose. Everyone on this show deserves to find it regardless of what they have done or who it’s with. I mean how sad would it be if Regina could never find it again? Or she could only find it with another villain? Rumple a villain, found it will Belle. And Belle is someone I consider the most pure of heart on the show. So basically it doesn’t matter what Hook as done in the past, as long as he doesn’t do those things to Emma! And yes he did scre* her over when he locked her in the jail cell, just as she scre*ed him over when she chained him up in the giants lair. Though remember, Snow also did the same thing to Charming(Robbed him and hit him over the head with a rock) and he to her(tackled her from a horse, caught her in a trap, threatened to hand her over to The Evil Queen if she didn’t help him) when they first met!

You’re seriously such a killjoy on every OUAT-related posts and constantly acting like you know everything about Hook and the whole show. It’s painfully clear that you dislike the character as evidenced by your constant comments about your dislike of the character multiple times on every article about the character or the show. Get over it! The writers are sticking with him. It’s their story to tell and if you don’t like what they’re showing, then you don’t have to watch. They planned on bringing him in. He became a widely popular character and they’re not likely to get rid of him anytime soon. Luckily for you, Neal will be sticking around as a series regular to make you happy.
Also, you haven’t seen Hook romantically involved with anyone other than Milah, so how the hell do you know that Hook has betrayed everyone he has been with. He betrayed Emma, but then again he was never romantically involved with Emma, just infatuated with her. His actions were pirate-like which was the original purpose of the character before the further character development (and him turning back to help Emma find Henry).

ITA Lorena, I just can’t get into Neal after his actions regarding Emma. He found out the curse was broken, and instead of manning up and at least going to appologize to Emma no matter what he perceived the outcome to be, he turns around and moves on with Tamara. Never once did they show him being torn over his engagement once Emma found him. I find him poorly written and I don’t like him. I laughed over his berating of Rumpel in the last epi considering he just used Robin’s 4 year old to acheive his own purpose. As for Hook well yes he’s made bad decisions too. But ultimately the chemistry between Hook and Emma is unbeatable, they look like they belong together, there is angst, denial and as of now unrestrained passion. They are exciting! Can’t wait to hear Hook’s back story – I’ve wanted to know more since he first showed up on our screens.

There were 6.98 million US viewers for the last episode (after four months of constant promotion of Hook as the face of the show, I will not add). However if that person surveyed even more than seven million people (and throughout the world!) in order to accurately say that most of them like CS, then more power to them! I hope she/he asked them some other questions as well. That’s an enormous amount of work to go through only to confirm that you are right. I hope she/he posts the methodology used; it will be fascinating.

This is not science. This is a TV show. I think it’s a pretty safe assumption @Lorena made that the CS/Hook is favored more than the Emma/Neal based on comments on this site and many other sites, youtube videos, shipper polls, and the general vocality of the fanbases. Anyone who keeps up with media about the show, spoilers, etc., would know that it’s painfully obvious that Hook/CS is the more popular character/pairing. Something tells me you would not like the results if an actual survey was to be conducted.
Also, “promotion of Hook as the face of the show”? You’re bitterness is showing.

My goodness, you are a nasty little bunch of critters, aren’t you? I feel like I should make myself some popcorn and enjoy being teleported back to junior high. Keep it up, lest anyone believe a show about fairy tale characters would be enjoyed by people anyone could stand to be around.

What is so interesting about Neal? He adds nothing to the show and isnt even a storybook character. What is his point? Ok he is a sperm donor and he can move on. He is just a pointless character. At least Hook has a personality and is interesting.

If anyone’s still wondering why CS & Hook fans have a certain reputation by now, they only need to check out the comments on this article. Just… wow. I swear some of you are just as obsessed with Neal and his fans as you are with Hook.

and if anyone goes into a CS article and bashes Hook within the first comment then clearly they don’t mean well nor are there intentions pure. So please stop playing the victim and saying the CS fanbase is to blame, just no.

@Starbuck21 Are you really surprised to see people attacking Neal when the first comment on this “Hook”-related post starts with “I don’t care about Hook….”? If people are gonna talk constantly about hating or not liking Hook then you should expect people to say the same about Neal.

The importance of Neal has nothing to do with ‘how interesting’ he is. He is important to the overall story. He is Henry’s biological father and he’s important for ensuring Henry feels loved and wanted. He is important to Rumpel’s and Hook’s stories and their character development. He was Emma’s first love (perhaps not true love, it’s still up in the air) so he critical to her character development and backstory. I can’t stand people who say he’s unimportant just because they think Hook is more attractive. We wouldn’t have a show at all if it was written around attractiveness of the characters. Sheesh.

I actually like Neal and want him to find happiness. I just don’t like him with Emma. On a show that’s predominately about True Love and Happy endings I just can’t see him being Emma’s romantic True Love. Firstly Neal chose not to tell Emma who he really was. Then August gave him a choice and he chose to leave Emma. Then he chose not to go looking for her because of his fear of his Father and Magic. Then he chose to move on with his life and fall in love and become engaged to someone else. Then he chose not to believe Emma about Tamara. Then he chose to tell Emma he loved her, but only after his other option turned out to be evil. Think of Charming and Snow. Would they have done these things to each other? What about Rumple and Belle? It just doesn’t compute with what we know True Love is all about!

If Emma and Neal are true love then i really have to start bloody asking what the hell Snowing are… because the actions, dialogues and love of these two couples are WAY different lol.

This show clearly highlights fighting for love, you know like NEVER giving up meaning finding them, choosing them, putting them first. – Which is what Snowing do. Man of action Charming is.

I honestly would root for first love and Henry’s daddy if he fitted with Emma but he doesnt. He doesnt understand her, he clearly does believe in her which we saw him talking to her insensitively and putting aside her pain. If he put her first and chose her, hell even came back coz he had mutiple chances.

This is why i root Emma with Hook, because he pretty much sussed out Emma on that beanstalk and no one has done, he read her so well that he understood something had happened for her to be so walled up, coz he’s the same and other things as well, understanding each other, coming back in the finale, now in Neverland, being there, believing in her, faith in her. Never mocking her.

I personally believe all the characters deserve a happy ending. I don’t really feel the chemistry between Neal/Emma that seems so obvious with Hook/Emma, but I’ve seen a lot of people overlooking the extreme complication of something realistically working out longterm between Hook/Emma. There is so much that they would have to overcome and I think in the process, there is a huge amount of risk involved. Even though this is all “make believe” I try to think about these relationships from a real life perspective and the kinds of decisions these characters would make based on the situation they’re put in.

Emma, who has a mountain of trust and emotional issues, who we know is typically very independent & tough, but rarely lets down her guard and struggles to really deal with her feelings… Hook, though we won’t know his full backstory until Sunday, has a negative reputation for being very shady is in quest for revenge and desire to stay alive, as well as huge list of past indiscretions that Emma is aware of. I don’t, however, believe Emma understands the full story of Milah leaving Rumpel/Bae to run off with Hook (yeah, she’s a grown woman and he didn’t force her, but he went along with it which is still bad). I feel like if she really knew what happened, she would harbor some resentment toward Hook for doing that and hurting young Bae/Neal. And their running off really did impact Rumpel and further drive him to evil. Sure, he killed Milah, not Hook, but Hook also should have declined to have her run off with them, considering the needs of her son over “his ship full of men needing companionship” (I think he actually said that).

Anyway, because of all this unresolved crap, a longterm Hook/Emma happy ending just seems so far fetched. In the real world, people don’t typically run off with someone elses’ spouse & assist them with committing adultery, then take in the same person’s young child after the spouse is no longer in the picture and act as a father figure more or less… AND THEN years later, pursue the the woman who is the mother of a child with the same person they acted as a father figure for. Seriously. It sounds VERY screwed up if you really think about it. I know this is fairy tale land and not real life, but I truly believe that was why Hook looked so worried. He knows there is much that Emma is unaware of and things are extremely complicated and she will probably change her mind about him if/when she finds all that out. He’s terrified because maybe he did realize 1) he could love again and 2) he’s actually been in love with Emma for a while and 3) she might actually kinda sorta feel the same way…. now. BUT what happens when she finds out how his past decisions directly impacted the father of her son???

I’ve seen a lot of people argue that Hook is “old and creepy” and it’s inappropriate for him to be involved with Emma for that reason, but I don’t find any fault in the technical age difference. Many of the characters are legit 100s of years old at this point, but physically both Hook and Neal are liked fixed points, and feel age appropriate for her because they still exist in bodies of 30 year old men. I don’t see anything wrong with that. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve always got a pervy vibe about Rumpel being with Belle even though people LOVE that pairing. Even in their fairy tale past, he seemed too old for her. Even though she truly brings out the good in him and they work well in that respect.

…..Neal is just the basis of the entire plot of the show? If Baelfire hadn’t been drafted, Rumple would never have become the Dark One; and if Bae hadn’t been lost through the portal, Rumple wouldn’t have spent three centuries or so making the curse.

True. But the writers were going to change who Henry’s Father was when people caught onto it being Baelfire long before the show revealed it! Which kind of tells me him being Henry’s Father isn’t really all that relevant to the overall story!

That’s my issue with the triangle – Hook & Nealfire’s relationship. It’s an interesting twist on the whole thing, but those two character’s are so interconnected, its kinda creepy that they could be fighting over the same girl.

To easy a route for Hook to die. There wouldn’t be enough drama in that. IDK, to me it has always seemed like Neal is the obstacle to Hook and Emma being together more so than the other way around. For one Neal and Emma have enough issues that would keep them apart without adding another guy in the mix. And it didn’t escape my attention that the episode where Emma talked about her relationship with Neal was called “Nasty Habits” and the one where she kisses Hook is called “Good Form”.

Neal does seem a obstacle in ways coz its like we talk about Emma and Hook, and then bang we get a quote saying Neal is out there, what will happen pretty much in most article and interviews, so thats how i view it, even in comic con panels and such

But what about Henry? His grandma’s lover is now his step-dad? While his dad is all by himself? I really like Emma and Hook more than Emma and Neal, but the most Disney ending is seeing Henry’s parents get back together, co-parenting with Regina.

Maybe the more traditional, family friendly ending would be to have Emma with Neal just because they have a child together.. but if you consider their past and actual compatibility, that may not be the case. I prefer Emma with Hook because it feels more like true chemistry and they’re passionate about each other and lasting relationships require two individuals who remain legit passionate about each other even when they’re old. To fully comprehend longterm happiness and success, you have to consider how well two people are compatible. How their personalities actually mesh. Having a child is a poor reason to suggest two people should be together. Ask all the children around the world whose parents are divorced. A lot of times, children are better off if incompatible parents separate and end up with more suitable spouses down the road. Staying in an unhappy relationship/marriage for the sake of children is not always best.

Ok. I don’t get how some people think the Hook with Emma thing is so wrong because of the whole Bae/Mila connection, but when a similar argument is made regarding the Regina/Emma familial connection being a factor in why they don’t make sense together because she is technically her step-grandmother some people freak out (I’m just reiterating the argument against SQ based on several comments I’ve seen. I personally don’t see SQ working because there is just too much evil and bad blood and hate between them and I see more of a potential with CS; I’m all in favor of a platonic, co-parenting relationship between the two though),
The argument for SQ is that they aren’t related by blood and Emma never knew who Regina was till the past what year? If that argument can be used in support of SQ, that same argument can be applied here with Hook. All these characters are intertwined in some way or another and you probably won’t find any character without a connection to someone else. So. in terms of CS, they’re not blood, there is no real familial relation. He was never married to Mila. Bae was never his son. He had a soft spot for him. There was a potential for the situation to become officially familial but that never happened because of Rumple. Sure Neal supporters will bring up how the Mila connection makes it kinda creepy, but in the end the twisted relationships and deep interconnections between all of the characters on this show can be thought of as somewhat weird and creepy or odd.

Thank you for this post! I hate CS (and ST and I ship SQ) but I think the Hook/Milah/Emma/Neal thing is a stupid reason to be against this ship. Hook and Emma are the same age, they’re not related by blood or any other family relationships since they just met each other…. This is as stupid as the “Ew Regina is Emma’s step-grandmother”….. I mean poeple can hate CS or SQ (or ST) for plenty of different things but those two arguments are lame….

Emma “The Savior” has so far had to fight to save everyone else’s happy endings. So why would her own be any different? And it just makes sense that Emma will have to fight the hardest she has ever fought in her life, for her own chance at finding “Home”(Like her poster says). And to do that, its going to have to be very, very complicated and multifaceted. Road block after road block, detour after detour and obstacle after obstacle till she is finally able to achieve it!

Colin answers in such a way, that u know there is more. He does it everytime. Its funny and its just very Colin. From the very start he’s been like who knows, maybe… but i have to say he knows what he is talking about in terms of how he plays Hook and how he wants to come across, even Emma-Hook. Though his interviews are always subtle esp concering CaptainSwan

Yeah and those “others” are the people whom like to turn a blind eye to canon many times as you have done so. Plus you also don’t like CS so why comment on an article about them. Seems pointless to me.

I don’t know what people are so worked about about, it’s obvious from his comments that Hooks feelings for Emma (if he even has them) are superficial at best. He seems much more interested in his relationship with Bae…and I’m sure that will continue once he finds out he’s alive and he’ll want to repair that instead of pursue anything romantic with Emma. Emma deserves someone better than Neal and someone that is romantically interested in her

Actually Becky that’s wrong. In another article today Colin basically stated that Hook did very much enjoy kissing Emma because he likes her. This is the same guy whom devoted 300 years to a womans memory so for him to like Emma means big things.

He also pretty much subtely stated Hook does love Emma hence “as you wish” a reference to The Princess Bride where in that movie it means I love you.

Exactly anyone whom reads all of Colin’s interviews could tell that he is very subtle when it comes to anything at all and is always vague. However he has made it clear that he does like Hook and Emma. Comic Con as Lorena stated is a great example.

Exactly. The cast has been prepared for interviews well in advance by the writers and producers so they know what they can/can’t discuss and what they’re aiming to promote at the given time. They don’t want to just outright spoil things and probably a lot of decisions for the characters are still being made. It’s too early to give straight forward answers about some of it. But having watched interviews with Colin, Jen and Michael, they all seem to find the ships endearing. All of them didn’t even know what they were until recently. It’s always amusing to see them mention it in the interviews. Any time celebs become aware of stuff like that and sort of struggle to understand it, it kills me. Too funny.

No, he isn’t emotionally unattached at all. It’s called being vague and teasing the fans with information without totally spoiling the episode or the writers’ plans for their characters. If they reveal everything in advance via spoilers and interviews, ratings will drop. Besides, all of the cast, Colin & Jen included, have given much praise to the fans and seem to love their respective ships. Although I’m sure Colin wants his character to be viewed as far more than just a love interest for Emma. But I believe Hook already is. I was wondering why they chose to spoil the kiss so early but now it seems evident they didn’t want that overrunning the more important parts of the episode, detailing Hook’s backstory and paralleling his relationship with his brother to the one with Charming.

He doesn’t have to be emotionally attached. He’s an actor, meaning his job is this thing called “acting.” That said, yeah, he’s obviously not super into it the way GG, JD, EdR, or MRJ are to their characters’ pairings. It seems that he might even want Hook to have a story or a personality beyond just being a love interest.

I disagree. The promo is just totally misleading altogether but I think they allowed the kiss to be spoiled so far in advance so that people will have already had time to process that and focus on the more important and telling parts of the episode focusing on Hook’s past and backstory and how it parallels present day. If no one knew the kiss was coming, they would just focus on that and the actual stuff they want us to see would be overshadowed.

The promo for this week was ridiculous. I was referring more to ABC and producers allowing EW to fully spoil virtually every aspect of this kiss scene. Why didn’t they want it to be somewhat of a surprise? Calling it a ‘shocking hook up’ in the promo given the context of the scene was flat out absurd. They probably predict a lot of the fandom are teenage girls obsessing over only that aspect of the episode, which really isn’t supposed to be the big deal people are making it out to be. The impression I got from all the new interviews today was the actors were kinda downplaying it. I’m far more interested in learning Hook’s backstory than seeing a 30 second kiss that helps the writers get the love triangle off the ground. Just sayin.

You’re wrong. It’s a challenging kiss. Hook challenged her, she responded. What she felt after the kiss was real. This is not in any way a gratitude kiss. Saying it is just shows that you really just don’t pay attection.

lol we already -know- a love triangle is coming so there’s no use speculating. The writers only had her say that so she could exit the scene in true Emma fashion and attempt to give the impression that it was no big deal. And try to send a message to Hook that he needn’t get his hopes up for more of this. She realized in a moment of weakness, she gave into a ‘distraction’ that could delay saving her son. We know there will be more of this down the road. Both actors have confirmed a love triangle was planned for ages now.

It may have started out that way, but they were both affected by it. Their reactions tell the story. Our heads are always a step behind our hearts when it comes to love. That’s because it’s not our hearts where all our insecurities come from. It’s our heads. And as for them being True Loves? We will see. ;)

Me too. They don’t explore good chemistry enough on this show. I feel like this ep will be a big payoff. Neal is ok as a character, but if they had to off him, I wouldn’t cry too hard. Totally ready for Emma to HOOK (I know bad pun) it up! Haven’t seen her enjoy a kiss that much since Graham.

Funny I’ve been waiting for more Charming and Emma back story. Charming has had one background story that focused on him and one that was about him helping Abigail while looking for Snow. Emma has had one – Tallahassee and a few minutes in the season premiere about giving up Henry. The moments as a baby don’t really count.

I wouldn’t mind a bit about her time in the foster system (including the moment she found out about her supposedly being left on the side of the highway). Was she ever in a decent home? How and when did she decide to become a bail bonds person?

How did Charming get so good with a sword so fast? Did his father teach him when he was younger just in case he might have to fight in another Ogre’s war? And what about his father?

My favourite character, there is so much more about him then what ppl want to see. He’s complex and it comes from loneliness and loss.
I really have been waiting to see Killian Jones the man that he was before then becomes a pirate. From this i can only determine that to survive he became a pirate and to let no one walk all over you.

Rooting for Emma-Hook. That kiss was needed to be a turning point. I like what these two bring to each other.

Can’t wait to see Hook’s story. He doesn’t have enough screentime dedicated to what is a really entertaining character. Looking forward to seeing more of Killian! Love Captain Swan too. Glad we’ve seen the kiss so it won’t take over from the story completely. Also have to mention how much I love Colin. He is brilliant at what he does!

I’m so excited for this episode!! I love Hook so much and have been dying to learn more about his past! I love Hook and Emma together too! From the start you could see there was always something between them.

Great interview! It’s nice to read a longer interview with Colin. I’m really interested in how Hook will be when they find Neal, if he’ll revert back to wanting to be that father figure or if he’ll see Neal is a grown man, and if any of that really matters to him at all over how he truly feels about Emma.
And his backstory! I’m so excited to see that. Sounds a little like Tangled.

That is gonna be interesting isnt it. I know Hook wanted to be a father figure and you know what that took guts in wanting that having lost Milah and his hand, laying it on the line and to want to give up his revenge, and Bae was a kid, so yeah a father figure, but that just NEVER progressed to label it as more. And however much he cares for Bae, or however the boy was. Neal is different, he isnt the boy that Hook knew, and it is about time Hook saw that, and look past Baelfire. So that will be interesting to see Neal as a grown man and how he is. I do want to see Hook choose Emma well put her first (which he has been doing and believing in her and understanding her here now in saving Henry), because it would tell so much that one man has chosen Emma over everything else. I think that element here needs to be Emma being chosen being put first – but overall i do see conflicts within him which is natural and human emotions.
Tangled feels i am getting, not only that Princess Bride anyone :)

I’m intrigued to see how he will act towards Neal too. Though Colin’s answer was interesting in the fact that Hook still see’s him as 14 year old Baelfire. But as Neal said to his Father, Baelfire doesn’t exist anymore. And as a lot of people have pointed out, Baelfire and Neal are worlds apart in regards to their personalities and how they act.

Yes! I am very interested in how this will play out. Hook’s attached to memories and feelings of young Bae which Neal let go of long ago and appears to want no association with anymore. I can’t wait to see how they deal with the Hook/Nealfire relationship completely aside from the love triangle that’s been cooked up. Will Neal react to Hook the same way he reacts to Rumpel now? They haven’t explored any of that yet and I’m dying to know how that will pan out. Tbh, I’d like to see Hook, Neal and Rumpel all together trying to sort out all their complicated problems with each other. Far more interesting than a love triangle with Emma.

I wonder how much Hook has lost in his life to become so closed up in bottling things up. I do wonder if his brother died and hence the reason to becoming a pirate to survive, to earn how you live and not to tolerate and stand up to ppl rather then other ppl knowing someone down who has lost someone. I cannot wait to see flashback. I pretty much that Hook sees David like a bro – cue the bromance, these two men do have similarities i think even more due to Liam.
I dont see dastardly Hook coming out unless having to do with Pan, because something obviously happened and Hook does say he is a demon lol. As for Neal and Hook, i do see Hook caring well he always did, but if the time comes to step up and do something that needs to be done, even if to fight for Emma (if given the reason Hook wants to) then i think Hook will – he is fighter, a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets.

As much as I love Hook…. And Hook and Emma…..And I like Neal too and his story with Henry and Rumple…… I miss August soooo much! His character was another dynamic of good fighting evil within that was just so interesting to watch, not to mention fun to look at.

I miss August to his character was one of the better characters on the show and I’m sure if he had stayed on as a character he would have been a good allie for Emma and Hook in Neverland. I feel he was in Neverland with the Peter Pan and the Lost Boys at some stage in his life because if he wasn’t how would he know that Neal was Balefire and while I like Emma with Hook I still think that of all the people on the show she was meant to be with August. I’m hopeing we’ll see him again in season 3.

This will probably top my ‘top five’ list of ouat episodes. Feels like we’ve been waiting for Hook’s backstory for so long. Also I love the Hook/Emma dynamic and can’t wait to see more of that in this episode! The connection between these two are impossible to ignore and it’s just a perfect love-story for a show like ouat!

LOVE Captain Swan and can’t wait for their love story!!! (How amazing is it that the writers used ‘As You Wish’, the most famous romantic Princess Bride line, for Hook and Emma. Two love stories/fairy tales about pirates and princesses…not a coincidence) I’m so excited.

I feel the same way as Colin, that the kiss came out of nowhere. Nice to hear he still sees Milah in Bae. I hope we get to see him apologize to Neal for tossing him over to Peter Pan as a child. I hope he doesn’t hurt him like that again.

I didn’t see anything truly romantic about that kiss. What I saw was Emma Swan regretting it two seconds later and realizing that she’s there to find Henry. To call this a love story at this point is way too overreaching. Hook isn’t going to settle down in Storybrooke and play house with Emma and Henry, and Emma certainly wouldn’t abandon her family to go galivanting off with a pirate. The first scenario is boring, the second is completely unrealistic, and both are OOC.

One kiss does not a love story make, and using her love for her father to ask for more than a simple “thank you” makes it even less so.

That said, I’m happy to see Colin discussing Hook’s love for Milah and his relationship with Bae. If I care about anything in Hook’s story, it’s that.

I wish people would stop making Emma out to be someone that is so foolish and naive that she could be guilt tripped into kissing anyone. That is not the Emma Swan we know. Look how she reacted to Graham when he kissed her. She kissed Hook because she damn well wanted to. And I don’t think she regretted it. I think she was shocked by what that kiss made her feel. And as for Hook settling down? Colin was asked that exact question at Comic Con back in March. His answer was something like.. “It would be difficult, but I think he could”

I never said she was naive. But here’s the thing: Neverland is taking its toll on everyone, including Emma. And whether she regretted it or not, she was putting her walls right back up when it was over because she knows she has a more important mission. As Colin said, that kiss came out of nowhere. Even Jen said something along the same lines – she’s not in Neverland for romance. There is nothing about it that suggests she’s got feelings for him. Sometimes you kiss someone just to kiss them, because of the adrenaline rush and the hormones. It doesn’t always mean you love them. It could be a purely sexual attraction.

Also, to have Hook go from that dastardly pirate to this tame puppy of a man people seem to want him to be would be dull and boring; he’s already boring me and making me find him even less compelling than I already do. It may work in some stories, but for the purposes of storytelling on this show, there is nothing interesting about that.

Completely agree with every last word, anon. Nothing is more frustrating than people rejoicing over stuff happening that doesn’t actually make any sense. If there isn’t a believable reason for it, I find it obnoxious fan pandering. The creators say they don’t succumb to this, but I bet the powers that be at ABC do purely for ratings purposes. Remember they wanted to kill of Charming in the pilot and ABC said NO WAY.

I also found it sort of interesting that one of Colin’s first quotes about this kiss was something about “This was something fans have wanted to see for a while now” – wreaks of fan pandering. I don’t know, I’ve seen Adam’s tweets arguing that they don’t do this and the story is written at the beginning of the season, but something about this one quote just kinda made think they were finally just taking advantage of Colin’s sex appeal and the extreme popularity of the Emma/Hook ship. But I’ll give the writers/creators the benefit of the doubt for now..

Wow you clearly watch the show with goggles. It’s the only way you can come up with this interpretation from the kiss scene. Emma did NOT regret it, it was not a “thank yu” kiss and Hook has been confirmed in canon wanting to settle down and have a family.

LOL at the silly comments, that KISS said it all – challenge was accepted by Emma, and boy did it knock them off their feet, thats if you seen the sneak peek of it, they were both breathless – that kiss was what they felt and had been feeling. Pretty much i think the writer and the actors wanted to get across lol

I’m so glad we’re getting a backstory episode for Hook. I love the character. Always had a soft spot for the character since Mary Martin’s Pan and Dustin Hoffman’s version. Love O’Donoghue’s Hook too. All very different.

So excited for this episode, this is a natural progression from Tallahassee and their beanstalk interaction. It’s been a long time coming. Both are gobsmacked afterwards by the intensity. This is going to get so exciting – the continuation of the Captain Swan journey to love. I also love that Hook sees in Charming shades of his brother – a bromance in the making LOVE IT. Can’t wait for the backstory – they should have shown that in s2 – I guess with Colin breaking his leg that wasn’t possible. SO happy about that sizzling kiss – it echoes the romantic tones of the snow/charming kiss after the curse was lifted, she grabs him the same way. And the line ‘as you wish’ happy dance Princess Bride.

I never did that before but I’m not sure to watch this episod, I’ll read the recap before.All I want is to see Emma and Neal together or at least let her know that he is alive in Neverland for saving Henri too.

Not gonna lie, this is the one episode I’ve been looking forward to in Season 3. I think the writers did a great disservice to Hook’s character last season by not truly developing him until the finale – his roguish ways didn’t help him win any new fans. I’m hoping that this episode will offer the same sort of of sympathetic insight into him that ‘The Stable Boy’ offered into Regina’s character!

All that being said, I have to admit that I’ve been surprised by everything I’ve learned about this episode so far…I did NOT call any of this back-story. I’m interested to see his relationship with his brother(?!), and how that informs his relationship with Charming in the present (who I am so glad finally has a male character to interact with). Also, I NEED to know his connection to Pan!

Charming did have a male character to interact with…Rumple. They have a lot in common too! I am really not interested in this episode. I can’t stand Hook. He will always be a villain to me and a bully. Emma deserves better than selfish Milha’s sloppy seconds! All this talk about being a father figure to Bae is a joke. He broke up Bae’s family and turned him over to Pan just because he wouldn’t help Hook kill his father! He almost killed Belle twice and I have yet to see him apologize. I also think it is premature to say that a majority like CaptainSwan. A lot of people like Graham/Emma and Neal/Emma too.

I’m sorry…”a lot in common”? In what ways? I’m not sure I remember Charming murdering people…or locking women in jail cells…or letting a child fall through a portal so he could hold onto power…or killing his wife…etc etc etc

To each their own, I guess, but I think personally think Rumple is the antithesis of Charming. And if Hook is a villain, he’s a lame one…especially this season where he’s done nothing evil! Step up your game, Hook! As for the family, Rumple and Milah broke up Rumple and Milah’s family, not Hook. Rumple couldn’t think about anyone but himself. Milah was miserable and ran away. Not saying either is better or worse than the other, but such is the way. They both made their choices. Also, last time I checked, Rumple had apologized to no one…about anything. So…

Oh the irony of this post. “I’m not sure I remember Charming murdering people…or locking women in jail cells [to die] or letting a child [be taken by a demon]”…or punching women in the face…or shooting them in the back…

I meant that pre curse Rumple and David both raised sheep, were both honorable men and both felt they had something to prove. Also the Dark One curse changed Rumple to antitheses of himself, just as Regina’s curse turned Charming to an antitheses of himself. They also both value family above all. That is what I meant and Hook has done a lot of bad things despite not being cursed like Rumple. Remember when he helped Cora? As far as Rumple’s remorse, I felt that he is remorseful about what he did. He regrets it and thinks himself a monster, while I have only seen Hook in this season and last portray himself as the wronged one. If they do redeem Hook and not just for some stupid love story with Emma, but really redeem him and have him feel remorse for what he did when he aided Cora and his awful treatment of Belle, than I will tolerate him. He is just too arrogant for my taste and that is my opinion and if you want to like him, I won’t stop you. I will never like him. I am not fond of Neal either but I like him and Emma. I really liked Emma and Graham. How can you say Rumple was selfish? Milha was the one who neglected her son and ran off with a no good pirate! Milha is a selfish, vain, ungrateful woman who abandoned her husband and son because she was bored with her life. Hook is no better for running off with her either. I am not going to enjoy this episode much because I have no interest in Hook period! I love the show enough that even if I am not interested in seeing a character, or their back story, I will still see the show. I love OUAT overall and even though I shipper wise prefer Rumbelle, I will watch the show for the great stories and the pure entertainment I get from the show! I hope they don’t break up Rumbelle, but I will still continue to watch this show!

+ I disagree with you on that one. Rumple was a coward long before he became the Dark One (which he chose to do, btw). Let’s not forget that the reason Rumple/Milah/Bae were outcasts was because of his decision to run from battle. Regina and Rumple both made the choice to become who they became, the same way Hook did. I have no excuses ready for any of those characters, I can only try and understand them.

+ As for valuing family ‘above all’ if that were the case with Rumple, would he have dropped Bae through the portal? Would he have tried to kill Henry? He values his family when he loses them (or could lose them), not when he has them. As for Hook on that front, he was loyal to one woman and her memory for 300 years. Had Bae accepted his offer, as per CO, he would have given up everything to be a father (something Rumple couldn’t do), and we are about to find out what his back-story is with his brother. I’m not saying this to paint Hook as some heroic dreamboat, because he’s done plenty wrong. But to paint Rumple is this poor, wronged party is absurd.

+ I have a serious problem with your argument against Milah. A SERIOUS problem. Selfish? Sure. Vain? I don’t know where the evidence is for that. Ungrateful? I don’t understand this. Ungrateful in what way? Should she have been grateful that she had a cowardly husband who, when she BEGGED him to leave town, to start over, he completely dismissed her? Be grateful for being a social outcast and town pariah? Grateful for a husband that wouldn’t lift a finger to get her back?Be grateful for what, exactly? Again, she made her choices and leaving Bae was a selfish one, but I don’t get how you can make her out to be a villain and Rumple a hero. He was NEVER a hero.

We’re headed towards another twist on “sons repeating the mistakes of the fathers.” Because Neal will have to deal with his feelings. The question is: Will he react the same way his father did when he found out about Milah & Hook?

Hook’s backstory and seeing Killian Jones
Jones Brothers
The story parallelling to the present which will say alot
Charming and Hook – BROmance, like literally if Hook is seeing qualities of his brother in Charming which is cool
Hook & Pan (what and why)
Hook-Emma progress
Hook-Emma banter
Hook-Emma kiss
Hook-Emma!!!

One day, I dream of reading a Once Upon a Time article where I don’t have to see a million comments on who is better for Emma, Neal or Hook. The best part of reading the articles sometimes is reading comments, but the OUAT I can’t even bother to read most of them anymore, which is sad. I love reading when people give their storyline theories. That’s when I’m so impressed with the insight and thought put into guessing the storylines by fans. But I feel like ever since they introduced Neal and Hook, many fans only care about who is better for Emma. And it seems like it’s mainly from Hook obsessed fans, who try to just dismiss Neal. Personally, I think at the moment they’re equal. Both have messed up but both are trying to change (though Hook’s sudden change feels more forced, but I think the next episode will justify it)

I really hope the OUAT writers don’t take these comments that serious. Because the season has been very strong despite not much romantic development either way. I like/prefer Neal (and I’m not in the minority, despite what commenters seem to keep saying) with Emma. But I’m excited to see Sunday’s episode to see Hook’s backstory, and how the Hook-Emma kiss develops the story more, because good writing goes above all else for me. I wish more of the fans posting here agreed. Too many claim they’ll stop watching a show if their couple doesn’t end up together. If I stopped watching a show every time a couple I liked broke up, i would have no shows to watch.

I totally agree with you. A lot of my comments probably seem a little hostile at times, but I’m annoyed with every thing OUAT related being a flood of comments from girls gushing over which of those two men should end up with Emma. Giving no thought to what actually makes sense given how these characters have been written and explored thus far. Not considering that good writing is what’s important. Not thinking about how actions actually develop the story and keep int interesting but plausible. I am so damn tired of ship wars and all that crap. I think it does a huge disservice to the creators, the writers and the actors to assume the show should revolve around characters’ romantic pursuits.

Swann and Hook kissing? Ugh. Swann and Neal reuniting? I guess you never get over your first love. Personally, I would like to see Emma back with the sheriff, but that is never going to happen. FYI – The actor has just been cast to do Fifty Shades of Gray. And if she cannot be with the sheriff, I would rather see her with someone else entirely.

The amount of comments on this is crazy! I like Neil and Hook and am along for the ride. The stories on Once are so entertaining and it is just supposed to be fun. Love the stories, characters, and actors!

I never said Rumple was a hero. I just pointed out that Milha put her needs ahead of her son and family. She had a husband who worked hard and who did his best by both of them. She turned her back on him because Rumple was a coward? He injured himself because he didn’t want his son to be fatherless! Any woman or man would get down on their knees and thank God if their spouse came home safe! Is it cowardly to chose them over fighting in a senseless war that was basically throwing peasants to their deaths, because the duke was too cowardly to do something against the ogres, even though he had the dark one under control? Milha may not have been a villain, but she was the true coward, not Rumple! Hook was also a coward for challenging a crippled man to a duel he couldn’t fight! Rumple had to consider Bae! If he fought and lost, Bae would have been w/o both parents! All that time, Hook knew Milha left her husband like the selfish coward she is! I know Rumple made mistakes, you don’t have to tell me that! He took on that curse to save his son from fighting in a senseless war! The curse changed him! Before the curse, Bae was what was the most important thing to him! The curse changed him as Regina’s curse did to Charming! Hook would have taken care of Bae only if Bae agreed to tell him how to kill his father! His offer was of benefit to him, not Bae! Why would Bae want to stay with the man his mother abandoned him for? Why would Bae want to tell the brute how to kill his dad? You know what, I am done! This senseless debate is boring me and taking away from my enjoyment of the show. I just wanted to read the article and comment on it. All’s I see is a bunch of people tearing down characters and being rude. CaptainSwaners enjoy your kiss scene, next week, or the week after, Swanthieves will have something to crow about I am sure.

This is just a show and while I am enjoying the third season better then the second season I am finding that the whole romantic thing has taken away from the style and content of the show. It is true that some episodes are better then others. I would like to see Emma with someone in the end because I don’t think Snow and Charming should be the only ones to have a happily ever after. I’m liking the character change in Hook everyone deserves a second chance at getting their life back on track and I think that both Hook and Neal have been given that second chance it just how they use it that is important. I do see elements of Rumple’s dark side in Bae but Hook also has a bad side and so does Emma but controlling that dark side is important and some of them are going to be better at it then others. My theory is that Bae is most likely going to be a lot like his father when it comes to dealing with other people. I don’t really trust that character to be as good and forgiving as he is being portrayed at the moment and I think Peter Pan knows what lies beneath Bae and Rumple which I think is what making him and the lost boys protect Henry. Hook has been the surprise of this season and I am looking forward to this week’s episode and Hook backstory.

Emma and Hook both lost their first loves. Rumple killed Mila, and Neal left Emma. I know that now Neal wants Emma back but my hopes for Emma and Neal being together died when he came back to Storybrook with Tamara. Hook and Emma should be able to get over their first loves with each other, it would be perfect and beautiful. We already know that Emma’s love life isn’t going to be perfect but because she is the product of True Love she is naturally going to search for true love. Maybe Neal was Emma’s true love before but she’s not the same girls she was. We know that people have more than one true love from episode 3×03. The heart break of Emma’s first love has left her hardened with layers of walls surrounding her heart, the same goes for Hook. They have both been unlucky in love and I think would be able to relate to each other and open themselves up to one another. Hook has had a bad past, but even Emma hasn’t been an angel her whole life either. While the things Emma has done have not been as bad as some of the things Hook has done, she was still a thief. And the person who made her become a thief was Neal. He has not brought out the good in her, if anything he brought out the bad. Emma has been bringing out the good in Hook though. Just like Belle brings out the good in Rumple. You may not agree with me but I a full supporter of Captain Swan. Feel free to let me know if you feel differently.